RobRae Week 2018
by a-thousand-anthologies
Summary: 1. Raven is tailing her target when she spots her rival, Robin 2. Richard just wants his roommate to help him with this date, but Raven has got to gloat first 3. Raven has never been drunk before. 4. Raven is getting married. 5. Robin wakes up in the middle of the night to… 6. Museum conservator!Rae and Actor!Dick have a bond 7. Robin visits a coffee shop every Thursday afternoon
1. slidin under covers, undercover

She had her eyes on him from the second he sauntered in with his friends. He was taller than them, arms hung around their shoulders, laughing like the floor was a comedic routine, mouth wide, eyes crinkled, face red. He was wearing a typical black suit, with a fake red rose pinned above his pocket, and blue bird-shaped cufflinks.

Raven sighed. A competing undercover agent was troublesome to deal with, to say the least. And Robin of all agents… She sighed and pinned her eyes back on her target - which she presumed was his also, considering his sneakish glances in their direction. Her target, Kelson Parch, was still boasting tales of his business adventures to their little group and anyone with decent hearing inside a three-mile radius.

As soon as she saw Robin and his wild friend group of young billionaire heirs begin to move in her direction, Raven let a smirk on her face, quirking an eyebrow, eyes trained on Kelson Parch's. He took Raven's hand, without even asking, and led her to the dancefloor.

"I must say, Mr Parch, your accomplishments only add to your already magnetic attraction."

He was a poor dancer, Raven thought, clearly only learned to dance by mandate of his etiquette education. But he was able to lead, and Raven was able to keep out of the way of his large, sloppy steps. She saw his eyes move passed her face and down to the teasing neckline of her dress. She would've rolled her eyes, but she spotted Robin's smirk from across the room, where he was dancing with… Mrs Parch. Of course.

"High praise from Miss Candice Everton, was it?" Kelson Parch's mouth was grazing the shell of Raven's ear and she feigned a low chuckle.

"Yes, I've been following your… career," she said, biting her bottom lip softly, "for quite some time, and I would love to get to know you better."

"Meet me after the party, in the master suite." He whispered into her ear.

Raven smiled as he pulled away from her.

"I will be waiting, Candice."

They had drifted close enough to Robin's pair for Mr Parch to remember some decency and exchange 'Candice Everton' for his wife's hand. Robin stood in front of Raven, now, head cocked to the side, grinning wide, teeth showing.

"May I?"

Raven took his hand and he led her back into a dance. As always, he was a great dancer. Far better than her, but always considerate, making sure not to trip her feet (or her cover).

"Wouldn't it be more proper to ask for a name before asking for a dance?"

"You tell me, Miss Candice Everton."

Raven rolled her eyes in his full view, but kept her face bland. "Now, this is unfair. You know my name, but I have no clue what yours is?"

"Tonight," he said, spinning her around, "you can call me Ned Darlington."

Raven fought the urge to outright laugh and instead focussed on the blonde wig Robin was sporting. If she looked close enough she could even see the edges.

"Hmm, I heard the Darlington's couldn't make it tonight. They were invited to an Asian magnate's evening party."

"Leo Kim's actually." Robin said, "But I missed my flight, and decided to come here instead."

Raven hummed and mustered up the fakest smile she could.

Robin grinned and bent her over his arm, face close enough to feel his breath ghosting over her cheek.

"Parch is mine." He said, softly, teasing.

"If you insist." Raven replied, grazing her dainty silver and blue fake nails at the edge of his wig.

…

Hours later they were wound around each other, lips locked and clothes strewn around the huge master suite, while Kelson Parch was knocked out in a closet.

…

The next morning, Robin helped zip Raven's dress up, and fasten her necklace.

"Well it's been fun, Candice, but I really must be on my way."

"Likewise, Edward."

Raven reached around and clasped her hands behind his neck, tip-toeing up to kiss him on the lips.

Robin froze. His limbs buckled and he collapsed onto the bed. Eyes wide, glaring up at Raven.

She kissed him on the nose and the forehead and walked very slowly to the closet to retrieve her target. She swung Parch into a large purple suitcase and zipped it up.

"Don't worry," she said to Robin, "It'll wear off in a few minutes."

She heaved the suitcase up and wheeled it to the balcony, where a helicopter was waiting for her.

"Until next time, Robin," she mouthed, blowing him a kiss.

As her helicopter sped away, Robin got up and laughed. He whisked out of the room and into the real Ned Darlington's, re-checking that his target was, in fact, still completely plastered.

He grabbed him and made his way out of the estate, into his getaway car.

 _Until next time, Raven_.


	2. it could be easy

Richard smiled at Ella, trying his hardest not to tip her off. Ella Martin was a beautiful girl. Popular at the precinct, her smile lit up the whole department whenever she came to visit. She was the mayor's daughter and had been dropping in almost every day since Richard had graduated from the academy.

She had finally cornered Richard on Monday as he was leaving from work, and had asked if he wanted to go out with her tonight. She was nice, and smiled like Kori had - and all in all he'd made a really bad decision based on nostalgia. She was sweet, and kind, he presumed, but their interests didn't match at all and Richard found they had nothing to talk about over dinner and it had just been a horribly awkward experience.

Ella, who was still very hooked to his arm, was staring at the extended display of mannequins with outlandish fashion.

Richard checked his phone again. He'd sent the SOS text to Rae almost an hour ago and she was taking her sweet time responding. To be fair, she had warned him to not get in over his head about girls who looked like, talked like, or had any resemblance to Kori. But he was weak. And Kori had been his greatest love.

Rae rolled her eyes every time he told her that, but she had never known Kori so her opinion was baseless, according to him.

When she finally replied, Richard texted back immediately. She still took her time, the ticking on the mall clock driving him almost to insanity. He thought, he could probably get through this, right? But then Ella would tug him into another makeup store, or another superstore and talk about beauty vloggers or something and Richard would be right back to begging Rae to help him.

And now Rae was gloating. Fantastic. Richard really did appreciate her opinion on everything outside of his love life. She was very wise for her age, almost sagely at times. But could still be so childish about some things, that the duality shocked him.

He decided to bargain with her. She almost always caved after she got what she wanted. He just had to figure out what exactly that was.

Dishes? Laundry?

He sighed, thinking about his chores doubling for the next month.

When Ella looked back at him, he smiled again. She smiled back, and suddenly she was beginning to seem less and less like Kori. Or maybe she wasn't and he'd just grown out of her. He would never know. Rae said he had an idealised version of her in his head. But Rae didn't know Kori. Not like he did.

Ella sat opposite him at Ben & Jerry's and insisted that they share a Sweet Cream and Cookies.

Richard obliged, waiting very impatiently for a glimpse of Rae's purple hair.

…

Raven rolled her eyes at the messages.

She had warned him. Told him that Ella Martin was bad news and that they really had nothing in common and that they wouldn't match, but Richard was obstinate by nature. And also never listened to Raven's advice. Ever. Well, sometimes.

She decided to make him wait, after all, she still had to watch the latest episode of The Knights. She wondered if Malchior would finally succeed this time.

Eventually Richard's message got more frequent and the episode ended so Raven decided to go help him. But not without getting a good bargain. Dishes and laundry were good enough, and were also almost all of her chores so she would have more time to… binge Stranger Things or maybe she should use the time wisely and work on her thesis.

She got dressed after he sent her his location and walked out to the Plaza. It was always fun to surprise Richard's girlfriends.

She spotted Ella Martin - red hair, heavy makeup, formal clothes, impossible to miss - and slid into the booth opposite her.

"Hi," Raven said. "You're here with Grayson?"

Richard had texted her to say he was going to the bathroom, and Raven seized the opportunity to strike up conversation with Ella.

She nodded, giving Raven a once-over. Raven could tell she was trying not to judge her, but her upbringing had pre-conditioned her to crinkle her nose up at people like Raven. Raven sighed internally. She had dressed like someone from a biker gang on purpose, emphasizing her lip and eyebrow piercings (which she rarely) with large rings and doubling up on the black eyeliner.

"You should break up with him. He's bad news."

Ella frowned, "Why should I listen to you? I don't even know you."

"No, but I know Grayson, and trust me, he's not the cute police boy you think he is."

Ella seemed ready to reach for her phone, but Raven held her hand across the table.

"He's dark. And anal about everything. He's probably freaking out because your hair is slightly more to the left than he expects. I'm serious. He'll grill you about your bag not being organised for the rest of your life. Trust me. You're making a bad life choice here."

Ella stood up. "Look, I don't want to hear about bad life choices from someone like you." She clamped her hand over her mouth as soon as she said it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."

She ran out, and Raven sighed. She hadn't wanted to make Ella cry.

Richard came out of the bathroom, only after Raven texted him and sat down in Ella's place.

"You owe me, I made her cry."

Richard frowned. "I never told you to make her cry."

"These things always end in tears. You're a jerk of a man for letting it come to this, you know."

"And yet, you're still here."

"Yeah, because you owe me, jerk." Raven pointed to a new flavor on the menu and Richard begrudgingly bought it for her.

He watched as Raven finished a Frozen Flakes by herself and sighed in contentment. This was easy. Comfortable.

"Promise me you won't do stuff like this again." Raven said, after finishing her ice cream.

"Huh?"

"Don't be looking for girls like Kori, or accepting dates you don't want to, just because you're feeling nostalgic." Raven said, her face serious.

"I'll try."

"You have to know that high school romances and childhood romances aren't what they seem from movies. At least not for everyone."

"But she was the one."

"People have multiple the ones. Kori isn't special. You are holding her to an ideal that no woman could ever reach. She's a figment of your imagination. Unreal."

Richard didn't want to have this conversation again so he suggested they go home. Raven agreed and followed him to his car.

Later, as they sat at coffee table, Richard looking over a cold case and Raven researching through a large book, Richard thought it again. That this was easy.

Maybe Raven was right. That love didn't have to be impressing people, and having people live up to Kori's smile and Kori's laugh and the way Kori used to dress and talk and make Richard feel. That maybe, love was as simple as arguing over chores and teasing each other and sitting together playing footsies while doing completely different things.

Maybe love could be this easy.

Richard was ready to find out.


	3. we be all night (love)

"What the hell happened last night?"

Raven snapped her eyes open, body rigid as a street post. She threw several furtive glances around the room, for the first time in her life not knowing exactly what had happened to get her in this situation. She was lying on the floor of their kitchen, draped unceremoniously over another person's body. She rolled off it, or tried to, at least.

The voice beside her was no doubt Richard's - she was finding his transition to Nightwing more jarring than the others and preferred to call him by his name when they were alone (or in her head). He sat up, but her arm was still laying across his abdomen, and their legs were a tangled mess Raven didn't want to think about right now. Not with her head pounding like some kind of internal fire alarm was going off.

"Rae?"

She blinked. And tilted her head up to where Richard was staring down at her. She gingerly removed her hand from him and hoisted herself up, leaning on her arms for balance.

"The last thing I remember is the Titans East party…"

"I thought you never blacked out… or got drunk… like at all."

"I don't." And she really didn't. The titans had made her try several alcoholic beverages (after she had turned 21 of course), but it had seemed her demonic side nulled their entire effect. But last night, she vaguely recalled Argent walk up to her with a secret stash of intergalactic booze. After taking a few shots (only to prove to her friend that she really, honestly couldn't get drunk) the rest of her memories were just flashes of partying, dancing, flesh on flesh…

She felt her face get hot.

A peek in Richard's direction, and she could see her metallic blue lipstick trailing from his lips, to his jaw and down his neck. Neither of them needed to be detectives to figure out this situation.

Richard started laughing. "Aw, don't make that face, Rae. This is an experience."

He swung an arm around her shoulders and planted a gentle kiss on her temple. Raven frowned, still trying to stand without her head weighing her down. Somehow, Richard stood up, and pulled her up with him. He steadied her arms and pressed another kiss to her forehead.

"Now what?"

Richard grinned.

"Now we try to get over our hangovers."


	4. speak now (or forever hold your peace)

Raven held up a hand, stopping Richard's feet in its tracks.

"I'm getting married next month."

"I'd say that's a shitty way of proposing to someone, Rae. But that's not what you mean?" His voice sounded so, so hopeful. So hopeful that Raven wanted to lie. Yes, that's exactly what I mean, I'm sorry.

Raven shook her head and cleared her throat, hands curled into fists at her sides. Richard could almost feel the tension wrung in her shoulders.

"My father has finalised my engagement with the Lee Corporation CEO's son. It was done without my knowledge or consent."

Richard slumped down onto the bed, running a hand through his hair, agitated. He sighed. "So what now?"

Raven's face was, as it always was (and very purposefully so) when she was upset, blank. She had a plan but already knew the outcome. She was already expecting his negative answer.

"You could put forth a better proposal."

Richard stood up and turned away from Raven, facing the wall where his childhood photos were set in rows and rows and rows.

"Not without letting Bruce down."

"This stupid rivalry needs to stop, Richard." She sucked in a breath.

His heart broke at the crack in her voice at his name. A crack in her steely shield of emotionlessness. A crack in her resolve. Richard turned back to her and enveloped her in his arms, pressing kisses against her head.

"Not at Bruce's expense. I can't do that to him, Raven. I owe him my whole life." He pleaded with her. "You have to know that."

Raven pushed away from him, taking a deep breath and piecing her shield back together, bit by bit. "I do."

Richard let his hands fall from her cheek.

"But I had to try." Her voice was cold.

Richard collapsed onto the bed as she marched out of the room, his forearm covering the tears leaking out of his eyes.

…

"You can't force me into this, father." Raven said at dinner a few nights later. It was the first time in a few weeks that they were eating alone together.

"Can't I?" His booming voice was scary to her still, but she held her ground, head straight, eyes locked onto his.

"No, you can't."

His laugh echoed ominously around the near-empty dining hall.

"You have two options, Raven. You can either denounce yourself as my heir and run away, or you can call off the wedding without my consent. Both options will signal instability to the mass media and stock prices will plummet and several thousand employees will be sacked. Their families left without an income or an option."

Raven's spoon was disfigured in her hand.

"You would hold them hostage over me? Disgusting."

"My dear Raven, you cannot win a game without contingencies."

Raven threw her warped spoon against the marble table and stormed out of the dining hall. He was right. This was a game and she was losing it.

…

News of her engagement party was everywhere. Tv, radio, magazines. Richard could barely make it a few meters without another reminder that his Rae was about to get contract-married to another man.

He very nearly broke his own television.

"It makes no sense for you to keep torturing yourself like this."

Dick was nursing his fifth glass of whiskey of the hour, his tears had run dry but his eyes were sore and red and puffy, and he just didn't want to think anymore.

"What am I supposed to do?"

His own voice sounded pathetic to his ears.

"You know Master Bruce cares for you deeply. He would be angry, but for how long?"

Richard reached for the bottle Alfred had stashed on the bar shelf behind him; but stumbled onto the counter.

"I love her."

"Then perhaps you should do something about it, don't you think?"

His options were running out, though.

…

Raven couldn't do this.

Her heart was in her throat, her marriage papers were waiting for her as soon as they completed the typical ceremony.

She couldn't do this.

She had a team of her closest secretaries and assistants looking for something, any dirt on Lee Corporations that she could exploit. But so far, nothing. Still, she left her earpiece in as she walked down the aisle, her father's grip on her arm iron-like and painful.

The walls were closing in around her. She was finding it difficult to breathe.

"Aw, she's blushing." They were saying.

No, she wanted to say, she was dying.

As she took the final steps onto the altar, her earpiece roared to life.

"Rae! We found something. There's a secret fund! There's a fund that operates under the title of a charity. But we investigated through the several shell corporations the money bounced through. And guess where they lead. Right to Nathan Lee's personal account. We're working on getting the story to a news outlet, but Rae. I think it might be too late. The next news cycle is going to break this afternoon."

It was fine. It was enough time. Right? Right?

She could wait, she could run out of this right now. Bringing her attention back to the priest in front of her, he had already begun.

Why was she still feeling so claustrophobic?

She just needed to find her voice.

Raven could feel the clock ticking on the cathedral wall, and she could feel sweat tricking down her neck, her heart was beating too fast for her to concentrate on the priest's words. The smell of her bouquet was too strong, all the white around her, her dress, the flowers, the altar, the decorations, it was all too blinding. Her vision was getting blurry. She just needed to be calm, why was that so hard. How had she let it come to this?

"Speak now, or forever hold your peace."

Yes. She would speak now. She needed to speak now.

Raven heard a loud bang behind her just as she gathered her words on her tongue. She snapped around.

The doors were open, and walking, no running down the aisle…

Richard.

And everything else around her melted away until he was all see could see.

Her bouquet might've fallen somewhere, someone might've tried to grasp onto her hand, then her dress, she wasn't sure.

She was only sure of one thing, that she had to run.

So she did.

And then she was in his arms and safe and warm, and she could breathe.

Richard was saying something to someone or maybe some people, but all Raven could see was his hastily tied tie, and harrowed hair and messy shirt. All she could see was the way his eyes fell to meet hers and lit up like the sky. All she could see was his smile as he hugged her tight, as he took her face gently in his palms and bent down to kiss her.

And all was right in the world.

…

"How did you know?" She would ask, later that night, as they lay together in her bed.

"Alise called me. Said something about dirt on the Lee's. She met me at the door with copies of the paper evidence."

"And the entrance at the perfect time, all that was completely unplanned?"

"Hey, you know I have a thing for dramatic entrances."


	5. 2am

Richard woke in the middle of the night to two arms wound tight around his middle. He looked down, wondering briefly if he'd been kidnapped, before registering his own room, the exact same angle of the city visible from his window. It was a full moon, he noted, before his squinted eyes drifted down the arms around his waist.

They were small-ish, and slender. Delicate, pale fingers, with purple nail polish. The arms were covered to the wrist in purple fabric, some light blue writing on one side that he couldn't read in the dark.

"Raven?"

She groaned against his back, head nestling further between his wing bones. Richard could feel her knees cuddled up behind his thighs. She was spooning him.

He had about a hundred questions ready to fire out of his mouth, but Raven clicked her tongue. Her voice was gravelly and course when she said, "You had a nightmare. I couldn't sleep."

Richard hummed, and decided that the best (and safest) course of action would be to just let it go and fall asleep. He could deal with the logistics of this thing in the morning. He could feel himself being dragged back into sleep.

Right now, he thought just before he succumbed, it was okay to be held, comfortable and safe from his demons… well, all except one.

(He probably should've noticed the calendar he kept on his bedside table, and the gold bands around his and Raven's fingers, but in his favour, he was way too sleepy.)


	6. i know you (once upon a dream)

Rachel turned over in her bed. She sighed, pulling the quilt over her head, burrowing her face into her fluffy pillows. Why was she up when the sky was still pitch black?

It was because of that same, stupid dream. Her 'soul-self' (whatever that was) flying through silver coloured vents, past a giant fan and into a boy's head. And then suddenly she becomes him, feels his feelings, sees his whole life flash before her eyes like a flip book. She starts seeing through his eyes.

She had been dreaming that dream for as long as she could remember. The exact same dream, and by the end, no matter how tired she had been the previous night, she couldn't fall back to sleep. She was just restless. Like a piece of her was tethered to something or someone and they were pulling on her. Come find me.

She had consulted every book on soul mates and reincarnation but none of them described her predicament. She had even gone to see a counsellor about it. But she still had no answers.

…

'Teen Heartthrob, Dick Grayson, of Techno Vampire fame, cast as Batman in the new DC adaptation.'

Dick rolled his eyes at the headline, tapping the retweet icon. He wrote out a 'and I'm super excited about it!' conveying enthusiasm and glee that he didn't actually possess.

He leaned back on the chair as his stylists fixed up his hair and makeup and clothes. He was grateful for the attention from the media. It meant role offers were abundant and he could pick and choose what he wanted, instead of waiting around for the next audition.

A knock broke him out of his reverie. Kelly, his manager, opened the trailer door. It was the event manager, Lily… something.

"Grayson, you gotta be on standby in five with your cast, you are on in ten."

"Got it, Lily." He said, winking at her.

She raised an eyebrow, but left without speaking, a grin on her face.

Dick bounced to his feet, shaking his head so his waves fell a little more naturally, and turned to face his team. "Do I look suitable for comic-con?" He asked, arms spread.

Kelly rolled her eyes and Janet snorted, looking away, but Georgie – his social media coordinator – piped up. "You really haven't been to one of these before huh…"

Dick frowned and scrutinized his appearance in the floor length mirror. Casual but sexy in his classic half buttoned white shirt and regular wash Levi's. He had even tucked his shirt in and insisted on wearing the black belt so famous of his character in Techno Vampire.

"Just get out there already." Kelly said, dragging him out of his trailer.

Dick joined his castmates in the waiting room, backstage. He could hear the screaming of fans as the MC hyped up the crowd. They had this panel, then a signing, then a few interviews.

He was looking around the waiting room, admiring the art pieces he could see that normally belonged in the convention centre but were taken down for this weekend. Looking closer at one of them, something flashed before his eyes. A black… bird? A raven?

He took a few steps closer to it and knocked into someone.

"Hey!"

The voice ignited a flare of recognition in Dick's mind, but it faded faster than he could properly process it.

He looked down to where a purple-haired girl was holding her head, sitting on the floor.

"Sorry," Dick said, extending a hand for her to take.

She didn't take it, instead picking herself – and her white bag up and slinging it over her shoulder. She wasn't dressed like someone who came to comic-con. She was wearing a black tank top and jean shorts under a very long blue cardigan. Though, Dick supposed, it may have been a character he had never seen before.

"You should watch where you're going." She said, deep blue-purple eyes glaring at him.

Dick raised his hands in surrender, he didn't want to upset her, especially if she was a reporter. "Sorry."

"I'm not a reporter, you don't need to put on your 'actor' stint." She said actor as if the word tasted bad on her tongue and Dick eyed her curiously.

"Are you even allowed back here?"

Before she could answer, the event manager from earlier, Lily, marched up to her. "Rae! Oh, thank God, you made it."

She took Rae by the hand and tugged her along, towards the paintings Dick had been admiring earlier.

Rae, huh. He should've got her number.

"On in one, Grayson, get over here!"

"Yep!"

…

"Thanks again for today, Rae. I honestly don't know what I'd do without you. I can't believe those crazy kids would barge in and ruin the art like that. You seriously saved me." Lillian said.

They were talking over coffee a few blocks down from the convention centre.

"Don't mention it. Anyway, I should be heading back to the museum, my break is almost over." Rachel swung her supplies bag over her shoulder. She had a burning question on the tip of her tongue, but she really didn't want to ask it. It had been nagging at her ever since she'd bumped into that … actor.

"By the way, what were you doing with Dick Grayson?"

"Dick Grayson?" His name was familiar to her, and she was mildly reminded of acrobats for some reason.

"You know, the actor you were talking to. Techno Vampire, Batman?"

Rachel shook the images out of her head. Her dream was beginning to creep into her daily life, ridiculous. "Um, he bumped into me. I don't know him."

Lillian hummed, a smirk on her face that Rachel wanted to slap off (or maybe kiss off but that was another matter, altogether).

Rachel glared at her pointedly before leaving.

It was a few hours later when she got the text.

 _Hi, this is Dick Grayson. We met earlier._

Rachel rolled her eyes, she was ninety-eight percent sure that Lillian had given her number to him in some warped, twisted form of gratitude.

She was annoyed, and yet, that tethered piece of her from her dream felt like it was tugging on her again. Rachel pinched the skin of her neck, maybe she was just sleepy.

And maybe, against her better judgement, she would reply later.

…

She didn't reply.

Dick glared at his phone in bed. He knew he had to work tomorrow but he didn't care. Elias and his team of professional makeup artists would just have to work a little extra hard to cover his dark circles.

He didn't want to seem desperate. Normally, he wouldn't care at all (though, normally the girls texted him first). But he felt restless. He couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned but, in the end, he was staring at his phone message screen again.

Rachel.

Why couldn't he stop thinking about her?

The thoughts came to him randomly, belatedly. Like how her purple-dyed hair was affixed in a loose bun behind her head with a maroon hair clip. Like how she wore a gold and red belt around her jeans. Like how pretty her eyes were. And how cute her nose was. And how beautiful her lips were.

He felt like a teenager again.

 _Do you want to meet again sometime?_

…

Rachel collapsed onto her bed in her towel. She would have to dry her hair, but she couldn't be bothered right now. The museum had an exhibition that ran hours later than usual, and she had to be there until the end. She sighed. Her drive home had been a challenge in keeping her eyes open, even after three cups of coffee. And she hated coffee.

She would've fallen asleep, but her phone buzzed, and she remembered the text.

Oh.

She got up to find her bag, which she was sure she'd hung on the back of her door. It wasn't there. Normally, she wouldn't be bothered. She would just leave it until tomorrow because she was tired. But there it was again. That tether. Like a string attached to her heart, pulling on it to move her arms like a puppet.

And so, she checked all around her room, under her bed, in her closet, trying to remember where she'd left her phone. She finally found it when she re-made her bed. It flew off into the air when she whipped her blanket onto her bed.

"Ah, don't break!" she screeched, grabbing it from the floor.

1 new message.

 _Do you want to meet again sometime?_

And she was being silly, and completely unlike herself. But her fingers were moving across the keyboard before she could stop herself.

 _Sure._


	7. feels like home

There's a coffee shop a few hours outside of Jump City, where the traffic is slow, the customers are few, and the ambiance is kind of beautiful. It's holed away in a secluded corner of the town, and Richard is not a hundred percent sure how the owner is staying in business.

He comes to this coffee shop every Thursday afternoon. He doesn't know why he started to, he just did. He felt like he had to. That if he didn't, something bad would happen. He knows why he keeps coming back, though. He knows it's because the beautiful barista with the shy smile, who somehow became his only real friend.

But every week, when he leaves the tower to come here, dressed in civvies, with black shades on, Beast Boy and Starfire and Cyborg look at him with sad expressions. Pitying him, maybe? They give him that look often, and he kind of hates it.

Four months ago, he woke up and everything had changed. The last thing he could recall was starting to fight crime with Batman as Robin. Four months ago, he woke up and everyone was saying he has been Robin for the past seven years. That he was the leader of their team, the Titans. To him, the Robin suit still looks unfamiliar, and he still feels like it's only been a few months since he became Robin in the first place. But he looks into the mirror without his mask, and he barely recognizes that self either.

He is so old, matured, darker. And the titans have told him enough stories. About their team of four, and their adventures, their successes, even their losses. But none of it explains why he feels so empty. Why he can't seem to truly enjoy winning their fights.

It feels like part of his story is missing and he doesn't know what to do about it. Like a book with several chapters ripped out, several important pages scribbled over with white.

So he comes to this coffee shop, because something here feels like home. Or someone, really.

"The usual, Richard?"

"Yes, thank you, Rayna."

She is the only one who works here, aside from the owner, Miss Janie Arnold. And Rayna is like him. She doesn't have all her memories either. They talk every time he comes here, and likes talking to her. He feels like he can tell her anything and she will understand. He feels like she knows him better than anyone.

She has black hair and almost-purple blue eyes, and she is very beautiful.

And she is the only one he really feels comfortable with.

"So, how's work been?" she asks, like she always does, from behind the counter.

"Same old. They keep telling me new information about my life, but it just doesn't feel real."

She hums, blinking up at him with her wide eyes, and smiling.

"I think it's good to have some direction. But you make it sound like people from your missing time are harder to deal with than not."

Rayna has no recollection of before a few months ago, when she was found and saved by Miss Arnold. Not even her name.

"They are. It's like they have an advantage over me. They know the whole story and I don't. It's not a nice feeling."

"I had a dream about my past, I think. It was really hazy. But it felt real." Rayna starts printing Richard's order, and pinning it to the board.

"What was it about?" he asks, leaning on the counter as she continues to make his drink.

"Well, I think it was about my mother. They were calling her Arella. And she looked a lot like me, except… less pale? We were in a temple of some kind."

"A temple?"

She nods.

"There's a few temples around Jump City, did you ask around about her?"

Rayna frowns. "No, Janie started home-tutoring me, so I've been busy reading. I really like reading, I've found."

"Any books you remember?"

"Some lines here and there. All done." She hands him his drink on a small tray.

Today, she drew a bird on a tree branch as the coffee art. Sometimes he thought she was magic.

"It's meant to be a robin."

Richard's eyes widen, his heart spikes even though there's no way she could've figured out he was Robin.

"I don't know why you kind of remind me of one."

He brushes it off as coincidence. There's no way she would know. Right?

She sits opposite him and they talk about nothing and everything like they always do. Until more customers come in and she has to take their orders.

This is comfortable. He loves this. He always hates returning to the tower after spending time in the coffee shop. It feels cold. Unwelcoming.

And most of all, Rayna isn't there.

…

Richard steps out of the elevator, trudging towards the living room, when he overhears their conversation.

"It was her! You need to go check it out!"

Speedy's voice.

"That's impossible. She died that day, there's no way it was her." Cyborg says, stern.

"You are mistaken, friend." Starfire adds, she sounds sad.

"He was talking to her, they were talking to each other. I'm telling you it was her. Go look for yourself if you don't believe me. Or pull up the cameras from that area because I'm sure it was her. It was Raven." Speedy insists.

Raven?

Richard's head begins to ache, and he leans against the wall, hand pressed against his temple.

"Okay, okay, we'll check. If it's her, Speedy, we have to go get her. We'll keep in touch." Cyborg says.

Richard can hear buttons being pressed and Cyborg's metal fingers hitting the keyboard. His head is pounding, he should get help. He steps closer to the living room, and struggles to enter the code to open the doors.

As the doors slide open, he sees a security camera shot of Rayna on the screen.

Cyborg is crying, Starfire too. Beast Boy is staring at the screen in shock.

"It's really her. It's really Raven."

Richard blacks out.

…

When he comes to, he's in the medical bay. His headache has subsided for the most part, but he's hooked up to a few monitors and an IV drip, so he doesn't move.

Of all people, Rayna is sitting by his bed, dressed in a navy leotard and a blue hooded cloak.

"You're up. I should call…"

Richard squeezes her hand, "It's okay, you don't have to. I'm fine."

She sits back down, and tries to give Richard a smile. It's not very convincing.

"What are you doing here?"

She sighs, and frowns deeper. "Apparently, I'm your fifth teammate. And a superhero. Or something like that. It's all very confusing."

Richard frowns. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"My name is Raven, and I'm a half-demon half-human superhero. I kind of ended the world, but we ended up saving it. And I get what you mean now about everyone else having an advantage over you."

Raven.

Oh.

"Would you tell me more?"

"It's a long story."

"It's okay, we can work on getting through it, together."

She finally smiled.

.


End file.
